Welcome to the CORTEZ CULTURAL CENTER |
OUR STAFF & BOARD OF DIRECTORS |
Susan has made her mark in the area since 2014. She started her career in Hospitality as Front Office Manager, Reservations Manager and Revenue Manager in both Michigan and Arizona. Susan went to college at Western Michigan University as a Biology major, with minors in Business and Administration before deciding on a career with the Enchantment Group in Sedona. Susan moved to Colorado to be near family, and took on the Dolores Chamber of Commerce which advocates for local businesses and also operates the Dolores Visitor's Center. She is a member of the Dolores Rotary Club and also volunteers in Emergency Operations. Susan runs many events around the area, helps local businesses build websites and social media pages, and does graphic design work. Email her at: director@cortezculturalcenter.org
Aaron Hammond, Cultural Specialist
He began to share his culture and story with visitors to the region and community members and set out to explore more of the history and treaties of his people, focusing on how the Ute culture not only shaped him, but also helped shape the history of the area and ultimately the history of the United States. Aaron does traditional bead work in his spare time and storytelling, the way it was traditionally taught to him by his Elders. He considers it his duty to share his culture and history and he continues to dig into the truth. In 2022, Aaron was selected from hundreds of nominees to be awarded the Governor’s Front Line Tourism Worker Award for the Mountains and Mesas of Colorado. Aaron’s kindness, openness, and knowledge help make Cortez a great place to visit. We are so proud of him. |
Susan Lisak, Executive Director
Aaron works for the Cultural Center as the Center’s onsite Cultural Specialist. In 2016, Aaron was taking college courses through the Ute Mountain Higher Learning Internship program. When he was finished, he became an intern at the Center. He was officially hired in 2017. As he greeted and spoke with visitors to the Center, right away he noticed that there was a noticeable non-representation of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in the region, “like we were ghosts to most people,” in his words.Board of Directors Holly Tatnall, Board President Born and raised outside of Philadelphia, Holly arrived in Colorado to go to college at University of Denver and never went back to Pennsylvania to live. Graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in Consumer and Family education (then called Home Economics) she went on to a variety of jobs. After teaching overseas, Holly worked as a restaurant manager, cooperative extension agent and a caterer and finally an interpretive tour guide at Mesa Verde National Park. Holly's introduction to the Cortez Cultural Center came in the late 1990's when she came to visit a friend who volunteered in the gift shop. She attended the dances and a performance of “Black Shaw” on the Plaza. The building and the plaza just had an aura that drew her to it. When a previous Board held a community meeting to propose selling the building and keeping Hawkins Preserve to save the Cortez Cultural Center, she was opposed to the idea and applied to be on the Board. She still believes that the Cortez Cultural Center and the building that houses it are community assets that are worth preserving. Her involvement on the Board has been dedicated to that goal.
Diane Cherbak, Vice-President Diane has an undergraduate degree in Food Science and a Master's in Business. She worked at Lockheed Martin in Flight Test for over 30 years. It was a very exciting and rewarding career, but she is thoroughly enjoying retirement. She lived at the beach for the first 25 years of her life, then in the high desert for 30. Her plan is to spend the next 30 years in the mountains. She and her husband bought property in 2001 in the Cedar Mesa Ranches subdivision and moved here full time in 2010. They love the area and have immersed themselves in their new community. Diane loves the outdoors and enjoys birding, gardening, hiking, camping, working with their Rotties, and she never tires of the magnificent vistas in the area. Diane has been chairing the Ute Mountain Mesa Verde Birding Festival and on the Board of Directors since 2011. The Birding Festival is the major fundraiser for the Cortez Cultural Center. She believes the Center is a vital part of this community and wants to help continue that presence.
Paul Beckler, Treasurer Paul Beckler is a Colorado native, husband, father and Realtor who has a passion for his community and the outdoors. Born in Leadville and raised in Durango where he graduated from Fort Lewis College, Paul spent nearly 20 years in finance and business administration before finding a new passion in helping people find housing. In his spare time you might find him enjoying the area trails on a mountain bike or hiking or supporting his daughters events at MCHS. He has been a CCC board member since 2019.
Tom Hooten, Director Tom retired from Colorado State University after serving 22 years as a Montezuma County Extension Agent and a Research Associate at the Southwestern Colorado Research Center in Yellow Jacket. He joined the Cortez Cultural Center's BOD in October 2022. He also served on the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs (12 years) and the Health and Wellness Subcommittee (3 years) for CCIA. Supporting the Cortez Cultural Center now in the current transition-stage is vital. Eventually, Tom would like to see the Cortez Cultural Center serve as a true center where members of the great diversity of the region's cultures can meet, learn, and experience each other. Tom's interests include everything outdoors, reading, and life-long learning.
Sherry Owen-Siekmann, Director Sherry is an Illinois native who recently moved to Southwest Colorado to build a last chapter off grid passive solar home. She loves being outside doing physical activities and being in tune with nature. Her favorite activities are creating and cooking nutritious meals and recipes, gardening, entertaining, learning and using herbs for healing and nutrition, taking on new tasks, and taking the time to listen to friends and patients with their life journey challenges. Sherry's career has been in Nursing since 1986. Started as a solo practice, Abundant Wellness, LLC, her business model is Tele-health with in person visits as needed. She is also owner of Sunset Condo Rentals, LLC, in Maui, Hawaii, which is her second home. Sherry is married and a mother of two. She is a new Board member at the Cortez Cultural Center since August 2023. She feels that the Cultural Center has always been a touchstone for her when she visited friends in Dolores over the years. She would make it a point to stop in to see what was up and happening at the CCC. Now Sherry has taken the lead in opening the Community Coffee House within the Cultural Center to foster, not only an income source for the Center, but a destination for tourists to visit, and also a place where local residents can sit down to meet a friend or business colleague, have a conversation, get some work done, pick up a gift, and enjoy local art and history of the Southwest all in one place. Sherry likes to say that “the Cortez Cultural Center is an awesome community experience!”
Lynn Dyer, Director Before retirement in 2017, Lynn had worked in the tourism industry for 25 years, first as Marketing Director for Crow Canyon Archaeological Center and then as Executive Director for Mesa Verde Country®. While Director, she contributed to the development of the Birding Festival, and still serves on that committee today. After retirement, Lynn followed her childhood dream to become a National Park Ranger and was Ranger Lynn at Mesa Verde National Park for three years prior to the Covid pandemic. A native Coloradoan, Lynn spent many years in the corporate world of Chicago, before returning to the state she loves. Her corporate career included corporate training, and later sales and marketing, of corporate tax systems to Fortune 500 companies across the U. S. Lynn holds a BA in Education and Sociology, an MBA in marketing, and an MA in Anthropology. She is an avid world traveler, animal lover, and advocate for children and animals. She served on the Four Corners Child Advocacy Center Board for six years, and is currently serving her fourth term as president of For Pet's Sake Humane Society.
Kathy Sipley, Director Kathy, originally from Michigan, spent nearly 35 years in the telecommunications industry, beginning her career at Michigan Bell. She witnessed and adapted to numerous changes over the years, ultimately retiring from Lucent Technologies. Throughout her career, Kathy held diverse roles, ranging from collaborating with Bell Labs on new product development, being part of a National Technical Hotline, to overseeing Sales and Marketing for the Indirect Channel across the United States. In 2000, Kathy and her product team were honored with the President’s Award, a recognition of their outstanding contributions. After years of relocating for her career, Kathy found her ideal home in Durango. Upon retirement, she started and ran a successful business in Durango for eight years before moving to Arizona to be closer to her children and grandchildren. In Arizona, Kathy became a realtor, a role she continues to pursue remotely during the snowbird season. In 2022, Kathy relocated back to Cortez, Colorado. Kathy’s extensive experience in technology, sales, marketing, and management is complemented by her unwavering passion for customer service and support in every aspect of her professional and personal life. Her journey in volunteerism began 2024 at the Cortez Cultural Center, where she started as a barista and was later invited to join the board. Kathy is eager to contribute to the Center’s operations, gift shop, coffee house, or any area where her diverse skill set can be valuable. |